Bio-Hazard
by CynicalDeku
Summary: You know how sometimes you tell yourself that you have a choice, but you don't have a choice? Just because there are alternatives doesn't mean they apply to you. We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't.
1. Chapter 1: First Run

**_Just a little something I thought of while gathering more time to write my other story. This is a short zombie apocalypse story in a more modern world. So no magic and stuff. Just good old guns and knives._**

 ** _Anyway, here we go._**

* * *

Blood stained the paved roads of the empty streets, the once clean river was now littered with dead bodies and it's clear blue color was now replaced with a murky rust color. The once proud city of Magnolia had fallen victim to a new enemy. One that no one could have foreseen.

The first few days of the unknown attack there were many screams from women, children, and animals. By morning the enemy had shown its face to the Fairy High students, but in the form of their comrades. Fairy High has never hesitated with fighting, whenever they saw something wrong they'd fight through anything to correct the wrong. This, however, was different than anything else. Screams of horror were heard throughout the school as they witnessed one of their friends tear the flesh off of another member. Confused at what was going on they attempted to resolve it in a calm and orderly manner, but it proved to be impossible when their non-lethal attacks seemed ineffective to whatever had possessed them. Through tears and screams of emotional agony, they were able to put their infected friends to rest.

Two months had passed since the first attack at Fairy High. The large property, as well as Fairy Hills, were used for the civilians that sought shelter from the madness from the outside. Being the caring people that they were; they graciously accepted struggling survivors. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until the first signs of looters attacking in the hopes of taking food and expanding their territory. There were days where they'd be bombarded with non-stop attacks for an entire week. The noise had been overheard by the roamers, as they called them, which brought them to their safe zone. Creating more casualties and more sorrow for both sides. It was an endless cycle that everyone had to go through.

Many of the surviving Fairy High students had gone through emotional changes. Their eyes could tell everyone of all the sorrow and horror that they had witnessed. Some of the more optimistic ones had changed drastically. Gray's usually cool and calm attitude had been replaced with a stone cold attitude. For him there was no room for failure anymore, he wouldn't fail his comrades anymore and if that meant being the villain in their group so be it. Juvia's love for Gray was still present, but now it was more of a love consisting of admiration rather than her past self. Laxus reverted back to his old attitude with no remorse for those that couldn't survive outside the walls. His thinking was more long-term and wanted to move the group to a safer location, but everyone was unsure if it was a good idea to leave.

As for the rest of Team Natsu, they all had changed. Lucy had suffered the most out of all of them. Her eyes were full of sadness from the family she had lost and now more and more are dying or leaving. She stared at what was left of her right arm. During a supply run, in Oshibana, Lucy hesitated when facing off with some rogue members and paid the price. She was lucky that Gray was there to fight them off as she screamed in agony. She trembled with the memory still fresh in her mind. Erza's first couple of days on the outside of their walls was, in what she described, hell. Their screams of pain and horror reminded her of her time in Heaven Acadamey. Which they did harsh punishments to those they deemed unworthy or lacked loyalty to the headmaster. Punished screams resembled those of the poor victim caught in a roamer's hoard. Her worst fear was when her group was reduced to a few stragglers during one of their night raids in a shopping district. There was a new breed that was faster, stronger, and aggressive. Their loud screams could be heard throughout the night as they roamed along with the roamers and made the night incredibly dangerous. Erza shivered as she looked down at her bandaged arm from that night.

Natsu's new environment had made him rely on his primal instincts. It has saved more people than any one of Levy's plans. He refused to leave anyone behind even if it meant turning a well thought out plan into a suicide mission. His heart was always in the right place although the others only saw it as more mouths to feed and more bodies to worry about. This made Laxus especially mad, he didn't need any more worthless people to feed and keep safe.

Wendy had begun staying at the base more often, she had gone out with Natsu and the rest of the group, but she found it to be too much for her. It wasn't the blood or the smell that surrounded them that she was scared of, It was more of the people they encountered on the outside that frightened her the most. She couldn't help but shudder at the traumatizing memory of the time where she saw Natsu killing a man that had almost raped her. The expression that he had on as he died was etched into her young mind and continued to plague her with nightmares. But that's the world that she lived in now. 'Kill or be killed' that's what Natsu said to her after he killed the man.

This was the world that they lived in now and it looked like it wasn't getting any time soon. The setting sun used to be a beautiful sight that brought couples together, now it was a sign. A sign that let everyone know that they were no longer safe outside the school grounds. Natsu stood on top a large building accompanied by two others. That being his cousin Gajeel and their weapons expert Erza. Their mission was to scavenge some medical supplies for the wounded and to bring back any gas for some of the vehicles and generators. It went smoothly for the most part, with some minor setbacks, but they were so close to the school. Erza had the idea of storing the gas canisters inside one of the rooms so they could come back and retrieve it in the morning. What they didn't plan on was having to deal with some raiders who were stationed in the building. That brings everyone to where they are now.

"Natsu, Gajeel, we're going to have to make a run for it with the meds."

"What about the gas?"

"It will only slow us down and we don't want to be caught out here in the middle of the night."

"Whats wrong Scarlet? Afraid of the dark?

Both Natsu and Gajeel gave small laughs as they wondered what their friend was so worried about, they've dealt with the likes of the undead and the local thieves. Erza, however, was extremely nervous. She barely survived the attack from before. Clutching the arm that was still wrapped in bandages she faced the sun setting while bringing up her watch as she counted down the last few seconds of safety they had. They watched the sun fade below the horizon as the red sky turned into a starlit abyss. Loud roars were heard all over the city. Both of the boys stopped laughing as they heard the roars go off all around the city. Some of them sounded really close to their location and were starting to unnerve the two boys as they instinctively put their hands on their makeshift weapons.

Looking out into the distance the three began to feel uneasy as they heard the screams growing louder and louder. Taking the initiative Erza made sure to check for any possible routes to take that were roamer free. Before the three of them had any time to react, a screeching voice came from behind them. What they saw was something from a horror movie, Shrieker, it's mutation had caused its throat to fuse down to its chest with extra flesh for inflating and releasing a haunting screech that had them immobilized for a few seconds. This had also attracted what Erza feared the most, a Volatile type. Its aggressiveness and agility were comparable to the best of athletes. Capable of overpowering all three of them with ease.

"Fucking Run!" At that moment there was no hint of hesitation as the three ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Erza leading the other two on the rooftops of the buildings. Panting, she leaped over air ducts and ducked under pipes that ran along the rooftops. Natsu leaped over a crawler while using his trusty machete to strike those unfortunate roamers who stood in his way. Not wanting to fall behind, Gajeel ran near Erza who dared not to look back. Natsu made that mistake and took a quick peek and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Volatile hot on their tails. Regretting looking back Natsu made a double effort and began pumping his arms even faster in order to escape their pursuer.

* * *

 ** _Not to sure who will read this, but it doesn't hurt to try and put myself out there. Anyway, please leave a review if you want to all criticism is accepted. Thank you for your time. Oh, and if I do decide to make this into a story I need a pairing and some new infected types._**


	2. Chapter 2: Second Run

The night made traversing the rooftops extremely difficult, especially in the dark. Any misstep could mean falling to their deaths and if the fall didn't kill them then the roamers would tear their flesh apart in minutes. Natsu, being raised in the mountains, had a slight advantage when it came to the urban terrain. To him, it was just another training ground for all the parkour training he and his father did in the mountains. With the Volatile hot on his heels, he tried everything to shake off the mutated abomination. Erza and Gajeel were barely visible in the darkness. He could only tell it was them thanks to his flashlight, but that was if he could stay still enough to confirm their location. With all the running he was doing the light was unable to focus on his two friends as the ran ahead of him.

Erza slid under a line of pipes and quickly got up only to leap off the roof and land on the balcony roof. She was ready to keep going until Gajeel landed as well. With the added weight the shingles and support gave way. They thanked whatever deity was watching over them for landing on some outdoor furniture, with that the quickly got up and got ready to head off once again.

"Holy shit that was close, you think pinky made it?"

"I'm sure he's f-"  
Before she could finish her sentence she looked up and saw Natsu leap over the gap that they both fell from with relative ease. However, her expression grew grim as she saw another figure clear the same gap with no problem whatsoever.

"Shit, it's still after Natsu, we gotta get back to HQ and turn on the lights."

"Can't we just kill it?"

"I've tried, where do you think I got these bruises? Besides, that thing is a damn tank."

"Well, then we're fucked."

"You can say that again, at least we only managed to attract the attention of one of them."

"Wait, you mean there's more than one of those fucking things? Just how many of them are there?"

"Well, thanks to the help of some of the other camps in the other districts we were able to find a couple of their nests. We should be able t-,"

Her face looked horrified as she slowly began backing up. Gajeel looked confused at her current facial expression. That was until he heard loud roars from behind him. Quickly turning his head back he saw not one but three of the Volatiles heading their way at full speed. Not wanting to get caught up in their path they both hightailed it out of their location. Once again they were being chased by the nightmarish creatures. From the sound of their footsteps, it sounded like they were gaining on them. Which in turn made the duo double their efforts as they burned through their energy. Nostrils flaring, heavy breathing, and the soles of their feet feeling like they were running on hot coals, this was definitely not how they planned out their escape.

* * *

From the inside of a ransacked building was Natsu as he attempted to catch his breath. He was lucky that he was able to escape the pursuit, but that didn't mean he was clear yet. Having lost sight of his comrades made his way across the rooftops of a nearby neighborhood. Lucky for him, he was able to open window leading into a house without making too much noise. Once inside, he made sure to check the house for any infected. Checking every room with his machete in hand, he made sure not to relax until every single room was checked. Everything seemed to be going fine until he made it to the main bedroom. The door locked he had no choice, but to pick the lock. Through some trial and error, he was able to unlock it. Tightening his grip on the machete's handle he prepared himself for what awaited on the other side.

Swinging the door open he scanned the room and found it empty. Sighing in relief he leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Sitting there all alone with nothing but the dead around him he began to remember all that transpired in the two months since the outbreak began. He got up and dusted himself off and scoped out the room for any hidden supplies to aid him. Checking the drawers he found nothing but shirts and socks, Seeing nothing of use he went over to the closet, there wasn't much just some thick coats and sweaters along with some dresses. Letting out an irritated sigh he closed it and was about to head back out into the darkness when he noticed another door. One that probably led to a bathroom. Upon reaching it, he noticed that it was locked from the inside. Not having many options he decided to break down the door.

"Hope that no one hears this" Taking a few steps back he charged the door with his shoulder. What he did not expect was the door to fall through along with the door. Grunting from the fall he inhaled as he slowly got up, but as breathed in he was immediately met the smell of rotting flesh. Covering his nostrils with his arm and trying not to gag he turned on his flashlight to find the source of the smell. There in the tub was a couple, the first one had red stains on its shirt, it's skin was a deep grey color. The most noticeable thing was the small hole in its head, upon closer inspection Natsu realized that the other one probably had put his partner out of her misery. The other body had the same hole in its temple. Natsu grabbed the gun and checked the clip finding three rounds left in it. Not wanting to get rid of a rare find he took the remaining rounds and put them in his pocket for later use.

He stood back up and looked in the sink's cabinets, hoping to find anything that would help some of the survivors back at HQ. Just as he was about to give up there was a small box with a lock on it. " _What's with locking everything in this damn town?"_

He was glad that he took the time to open up the box as he was rewarded with some antibiotics, bandages and a bottle of alcohol. Stuffing the supplies into his pockets he decided that it was time to head back to HQ. Slowly climbing out of the window he slowly made his way to the roof of the building. He was glad that he had spent all his childhood climbing the trees in the forest, it came in real handy when scaling homes. Looking out into the distance from the very top, the pink haired teen saw the once busy roads with roamers as far as the eye could see. Looking farther into the distance he could see the main school where everyone was holed up at.

"Better get going" Taking a few steps back and making sure that the ledge of the next building over was within reach he prepared to leap. Taking one last deep breath he sprinted towards the edge and with the very last step he leaped over the gap and held his arms out to grab onto the ledge. With a firm grasp on it, he pulled himself up and continued to make sure his surroundings were clear. With a quick view of his surroundings, he continued sprinting, since he knew that every second in the dark meant another chance for death to come and strike from the shadows. Keeping any negative thoughts out of his mind he continued traversing the rooftops of homes. As he got closer to the school he heard some footsteps behind him, not sure what it was he made took a quick look to his rear, only to see the two familiar faces with three Volatiles hot on their heels.

"HOLY SHIT!" With that Natsu ran as fast as his legs would let him. Not wanting to be left behind Gajeel and Erza began to follow Natsu's lead as he maneuvered over vents, pipes, and ledges. Gajeel could feel his legs wanting to give in, his lungs felt as if they were on fire, but he couldn't give in just yet. He couldn't, he made a promise to return back in one piece. Vaulting over a vent he pushed himself a little more, _"For her"_ That was all he kept repeating in his mind as he made sure not to fall behind. Erza was making sure to follow Natsu as best she could, but her arms and legs were already exhausted from the constant running. Before she knew it Gajeel was already running past her, she wondered what was driving him to push past his limits. She was ready to give up and let the monsters behind her take her away from the hell that their world had become. Then she remembered _"Him",_ he had always motivated her in the toughest times, he made people believe that everything was going to be alright, and he was running ahead of her. Being left alone it was something that she did not want to feel again. And the one person that made sure that she was alive was Natsu and he kept getting further and further away. But not this time, she would be damned if she was left behind again.

With the new found strength that she had, she began making her way closer to Natsu. Just as she was gaining on him, he did something that neither of them would ever think he'd do. He dove off a building, this effectively scared Erza, Coming to a halt near the edge she scanned the area only to see a light coming from the river that passed through town. Looking back and seeing that the Volatiles didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon she dove right in after Natsu. Gajeel did not hesitate, but before he jumped in he took something out of his back pocket and threw it behind him. In an instant, a blue and violet light was emitting itself from the thrown object. Thanks to some research from a petite blue haired girl they had found a minor weakness in some of the mutants. The Volatiles scattered away from the brightness of the object, Gajeel took the opportunity and dove off the edge into the water.

* * *

On the shore of the Magnolia, river laid the trio as they sat down on some of the rocks. Natsu laid down and sighed in relief. For once he was able to relax after a long afternoon.

"Where did you guys go? You sort of disappeared on me after that shrieker attracted the freaks."

"Wait, you didn't see us fall when we landed on worn down porch?" questioned Erza as she checked her voice, not wanting to attract any form of infected to their location.

"Where? All I remember was leaping over a large gap and that thing chasing me. Well, I think I outran it or it lost sight of me because I managed to find this stuff while I hid inside a house." showing them a few medical supplies alongside some small half-eaten rations made them wonder where he had been while they were running for their lives.

"Well that doesn't matter, I'm just glad we made it out of that alive."

"Keep that shit to yourself until we're back home. Then maybe we can call ourselves safe."

"Geez, she was just trying to lighten the mood metalhead."

"What was that you pink haired monkey?!"

As things began to escalate Erza began to grow irritated with their behavior and did what she did best. She gently placed hand each of their heads. This promptly made them stop their bickering. Before either of them could say anything she slammed their heads together earning groans from the two.

"Now if the two of you are done, we need to get back to HQ. It looks like we can get there in the next ten minutes if take the main road."

"Ugh, fine let's go, before metalhead over here attracts anymore with his smelly ass."

"Oi got something you want to say to me, you pink haired monkey?!"

As the two got ready to trade blows for the second time, they were interrupted by a large herd of roamers heading their way. Deciding that they'd save their fight for another time they jogged along the main road avoiding any unnecessary undead as they moved along. The moving corpses sluggishly followed them, stumbling over one another. Natsu, taking the lead, moved as quickly as he could through the infested streets while keeping a lookout for any dark areas. Not wanting to be caught off guard he brought out a similar flare that Gajeel had, at the ready in case any of the Volatiles decided to make themselves known. As they turned around a corner, there was a gate at the end of the road that led into the school's campus. A wash of relief had gone over the three of them as the made their way towards the makeshift gate. Nearing the entrance they spotted a black haired teen wearing a dirty tank top, black pants, and shoes that have seen better days. Standing on top the wall on the makeshift lookout tower.

Looking out into the darkness, he sighed and checked around once more. Before he could look the other direction he heard footsteps on the pavement. Squinting his eyes he spotted three figures heading his way. Gripping the pistol in hand, he made sure to check for any sudden movements. Finally, the three figures moved under one of the flickering streetlights, relaxing a bit he turned back towards the inside. Shouting something to Elfman, who was also on guard duty, making him shake off his drowsiness and unlocked the gate. Removing the locks Elfman slid the door open allowing his fellow classmates to enter the safe zone. As the three finally reached their destination they all collapsed from exhaustion, Some of the others came to check on the three, bringing them some food and water. They graciously accepted their kindness and took the offerings as they sat down on the cool grass.

Up from the second floor, in one of the rooms stood a white-haired teen, shoulder-length platinum hair, watched the salmon haired boy as he entered the gates. Sighing in relief with his safe return she made her way through the hallways. Every now and then she'd look into the classrooms and how they've changed over the last two months. The desks no longer occupied the rooms, as they were broken down to help make the walls or the beds. She saw her younger sister, Lisanna, tending to some of the sick children. All the things that had happened were taking their toll on everyone especially the kids. They tried their best to care for them, but with the scarcity of food and water becoming more and more frequent there just wasn't enough to go around all the time. Sighing a bit she continued down the dimly lit hallway and towards the main entrance to welcome her crush.

* * *

 **Not sure why I'm continuing this story, but hey I need to vent out a bit with all the ideas that are coming to me as I enjoy the games that I play. Well here's chapter two, tell me if its shit or not, all criticism is welcomed. Oh and tell me if there is something that you'd like to see in this story. I'm open to all ideas. For those who want something else go to my main story 7 Times Burning, I'm still finishing up the latest chapter. so expect it to be updated within this week.**


	3. Chapter 3:Third Run

_I'm not sure if I'll continue with this story. It was mostly just to see if there was anyone who took an interest in it. Well, this might be the last update for this story, unless there are some of you that want this story to continue. So for those that are still waiting for my other story to continue. So there you have it, 7 Times Burning will be back after it's long hiatus. Without further ado here is chapter two._

* * *

Finishing their water and rations the three of them began heading towards the school entrance towards the meeting room which was conveniently the principal's office/room. The old principal had managed to hold some order in their camp, but that didn't mean everything was fine. There was talk that his grandson was thinking of leaving with some of the other survivors to make their camp. From the window, there stood a rather short old man; this was none other than Makarov Dreyer, despite his age he was still capable of running their small group. Making his way towards his seat, he awaited the three scavengers and hoped that they have been able to bring anything of use. With food and medicine running low he had been forced to send out the young students out into the infested streets, where the dead not only roamed but also other people resided. If there were anything that he feared most, it would be humans who've been warped by their fear.

Before he could lose himself in his thoughts, there was a knock at his door. Looking up, he saw his three students walking in with a tired look in each of their eyes.

"I'm glad to see that the three of you have returned safe and sound, Were there any problems in your search for the supplies?" he asked. Erza stepped forward and answered him.

"Thank you for your concern, Principal Dreyer. As for the supplies we were able to gather quite a lot with little complications. However, there was one slight obstacle we faced."

"Oh, and what might that be."

"We encountered some volatiles on our way back. as a result, we had to store the gas we found in a nearby building." Upon hearing this Makarov's widened. From what he's heard from Laxus there have been some sightings of mutations. Some of them were easy to deal with, but the one that had become a massive problem for them was the volatiles. Natsu stepped up and pulled out what he had found in the empty house.

"Hey, gramps I was able to find these when we got separated. It's not much, but I think the old lady can make good use of these."

"Good job Natsu, with this we can help some of the sick folk. Well, you three look like you could use a nice shower. Go and wash up but be mindful of how much water you use."

The three nodded as they turned around and headed out.

"Hold on Natsu there's something that I need to discuss with you." Gajeel kept going and headed towards the lab where a petite blue-haired girl was researching. Erza turned around, but Natsu's voice eased her as he looked at her with his signature grin.

"Don't worry Erza; we'll meet up later." Giving a small nod, she went back towards the girl's locker room.

"Now, Natsu I know that you just got back. but there's a small job that I would like you to do."

"Sure gramps name it."

"Well about a day ago I sent Nab and Macao to the school's east wing basement to bring back some of the woodshop's materials, but they've yet to return. I'd instead not think of the worst case scenario, but there is no telling what's down there since we weren't able to fortify the entire school. So could you please go check and see if they're alright?"

"Sure, I'll go and get Er-"

"I'd instead like this to be kept between us. I don't want her to worry any more than she already is. Besides, I don't think she'd be able to kill any of her fellow student and staff members."

"I understand, I won't tell her a thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready."

"Thank you, Natsu, and for the love of Mavis, don't die out there."

* * *

Exiting the Principal's office, he made his way towards his homeroom, which now served as sleeping quarters for the scavengers. Passing the classrooms, he saw many students and survivors making due with what little they had. Small kids played with toys that they had managed to find in nearby homes. The adults were either playing cards to pass by the time until dinner. Natsu walked along the hallway, and now and then he'd get greeted by some of the people and thanking him for the all his hard work. He returned their kind gestures with a small smile. Turning the corner, he saw his homeroom but found someone standing outside the door.

"There you are,"

"Hey Mira, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, duh."Here we can talk inside." Opening the door, he held it open with his arm leading her in.

"Ladies first," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"How thoughtful," Entering the room, they both sat down on Natsu's bed in the corner.

"How was the supply run?"

"Well, everything was going great until we realized that we had too much to carry back. After that, all hell came following us and let's say that we're glad we managed to outrun those damn things."

"Did you get hurt? Any injuries?"

"Huh? No, I'm fine, see?" Showing his arms and face to her in an attempt to calm the worried Mira. However, she was not entirely convinced.

"Natsu, Shirt. Off. Now."

"Why? I said that I'm f-"

"NOW!"

"Ok, ok, Geez calm down."

He grabbed the hem of his shirt and took it off while the platinum-haired beauty looked him over. Mirajane was genuinely worried whenever he went out on supply runs. Sure they were necessary for their community's survival, but she just wished that he'd stop being the first to volunteer every single time there was a search for supplies.

"Well, looks like you're in the clear this time mister."

"It's like I've been telling you I'm fine."

Smiling at him, she gave him an unexpected hug. In the course of two months, Mira has seen many of her friends torn apart by flesh-eating monsters, beaten, shot or stabbed by other living people. The world had become a cruel place, but as long as she had her two siblings and Natsu, then she would be okay with the world ending.

"Hey, Mira,"

"Yeah?"

"I have to go; there's something that the principal entrusted me to do."

"Oh, please do tell."

He wanted to tell her, but Makarov made it clear that he needed to keep it between the two of them and no one else. He also didn't want to worry her anymore that she already did. Now Mira knew Natsu better than anyone since they've known each other since they were kids. Knowing someone for that long came with a few perks. One of them being able to tell if the other person was hiding something.

"Well, It's kind of..."

"Let me guess; you're going out again aren't you?" He nodded and let her sort out her thoughts. She sighed and rested her head on his chest.

"Fine, but you have to promise me that you'll come back without a scratch."

"I promise,"

Grabbing his shirt from off the floor, he went over to his bag and pulled out a CZ PO7 pistol that he had managed to pick up during the first week of the outbreak. Taking the magazine out, he dug out the three rounds that he had found and loaded them into the magazine.

"Hey Mira, Lucky seven," showing her the total rounds in the magazine, she could only give a slight scowl at his sense of humor. She knew full well that he always joked when he was nervous or trying to keep her from worrying.

"We'll talk later; I believe you have something to do right now."

"Oh, you're right. It shouldn't take that long, twenty minutes at most." With a final sigh, she gave Natsu one last hug and let him head take his leave. Mira stared out the window where the moonlight's glow was closed off by the massive clouds of smoke that lingered in the air. Dusting her pants, Mira headed back towards the main cafeteria hoping to start dinner for their group.

* * *

Facing the entrance to the east wing, Natsu felt as if he was staring at a doorway to hell. The flickering ceiling did next to nothing to help see in the dark. Taking a deep breath, Natsu began advancing to the far end of the hallway where, hopefully, Nab and Macao were at last. His footstep there was an echo that filled the empty hall, which only amplified the eerieness. Small blood stains were all over the floor along with broken glass, wood from the chairs and desks, and paper from what would have been their next assignment. Making his way deeper down the long hall, he could hear some groans of the undead.

"What a pain," he whispered to himself as he slowed himself to sneak by the undead. Slowly walking past the door, he could see two of the undead stumbling about inside the classroom, unaware of his presence.

Looking at his watch, he moved forward, ever so close to the basement door that led to the basement. Once he was further away from the groans that were coming from the lifeless classroom his pace went back to what it was before. The journey through the hallways brought back memories of his first couple of days in high school, repressing the memories he finally made it to the door leading down to the basement. Pulling on the door, he stepped inside and was barely able to make anything out in the darkness. Before he went any further, he searched his pocket for his flashlight. Luckily he had it on him, now able to see through the pitch black room he made his way around looking for a way down to the basement. Some shelves had old tools, wood projects created by the students who forgot to take them home, and spare parts for the equipment in the woodshop just a few doors down the hall.

"How am I supposed to find those two idiots in all this?" he asked himself as he aimed his light around the room in search of the missing duo. Moving deeper into the place he noticed that there was a door wide open behind some large boxes. "How did I miss that, oh well, I bet they went down there." Moving towards the open doorway, a change in the air caught the attention of his hypersensitive nose. Rotting flesh and a lot of it from what he could tell. Feeling his body go on high alert he slowly entered and found the stairs leading down to the basement. Aiming his only source of light towards the ground, he noticed the small blood trails that covered the once clean tile. One the thing that he noticed was that there was a pair of footprints on the ground going down the stairs. Assuming that it was from the two that came before him, he hoped that they didn't run into any trouble on their way down.

Quickening his pace, Natsu noticed that there were multiple levels to this basement. Looking over the guard rails, he at least counted four in total. With an irritated sigh, he descended further. "Hey, Nab, Macao, you down here?" he called out only to receive silence. "Guess they're not on this floor," Sighing he checked his watch, reading eleven thirty. "Shit, I need to hurry up or else everyone will start to notice I'm gone."

He began lightly jogging searched covering the second and third floors with relative ease. He started heading back towards the stairway when he heard a noise coming from the air duct. Pulling his pistol out, he carefully made his way to the stairs. Feeling even more nervous than before he began heading towards the last floor. Before he could move, the metal grate to one of the air vents from the ceiling came down along with something else. The strange thing began to growl as it slowly got on all fours. Shining his light on the source of the sound he was now facing a new mutation of sorts. Its skin was sickly pale with small bits of green coating its skin. It had no facial features, so to speak, the only prominent feature was its angler fish-like mouth. Then from the vent, out came six more growling as much as the last one. The smell emanating from all seven of the abominations was almost too much for Natsu to handle. Taking am with his gun he shot the first one in the head, he watched as the rest took off in different directions.

"What the fuck are those things?!" Looking around, he could only hear them crawling around. "I better hurry and find those two, they could be knee deep in some shit right now,"

Running through each room of the last floor was even more challenging since now he had to watch out for the new infected type. Looking over his shoulder to see if the small horde of infected was following him, he collided with something which groaned in pain. Looking at what he had run into he saw that it was Nab.

"I found you guys,"

"Huh? Natsu is that you?"

"Yeah, where's Macao?" On cue, the man appeared right behind Nab all the while looking around for any sign of the infected.

"This isn't the time for a happy reunion; those Jumping Jacks are still in here with us.". Natsu looked at him in confusion.

"Jumping Jacks? You named them already?" Before either Macao or Nab could reply the ' _Jumping Jacks'_ had begun attacking the trio. As their name suggested, they were leaping off walls with ease. Clearing ten feet of distance with each leap, despite their thin, lanky bodies, they were still able to charge at them with ferocity. All three of the men jumped away from the first one resulting in the small army of jumpers to chase individual targets. Amongst the assault, Natsu shouted to his fellow survivors.

"Nab, Macao, head for the stairs, we need to get the hell out of here!" shouted Natsu as he avoided another jumper. Running around crates, boxes, and other miscellaneous items that littered the floor made escaping the jumpers even trickier. Macao was happy that he had started working out again, it made evading and maneuvering over obstacles more manageable for the aging man. Somehow. He had made it to the stairs first and was looking for any weapon that he could use against the mutated infected. He spotted a broken table leg, lifting it up and taking a few swings he readied himself for any of the infected to show up.

Nab was having trouble with two of the jumpers as they kept getting closer with each leap. Turning a corner, in the maze that was the basement, he found himself in a narrow part of the floor. Turning on his flashlight, he saw Macao swinging a table leg in the air. In the seemingly endless hallway, Nab kept running towards his friend. His pursuers were now at a slight advantage since they now had landing spots that were closer together allowing them faster mobility which they took full advantage of their environment.

Hearing footsteps coming closer towards him, Macao looked to his right and saw Nab running full speed towards him. However, just before he could reach him, Nab let out a yell as he was tackled to the ground by a Jumping Jack.

"NO! NAB!" His yell was in vain as the two Jumping Jacks began tearing into his back. Nab's cries filled the basement as two abominations tore through his flesh like it was butter. Macao stood there frozen as his comrade was being eaten alive right before his very eyes. He wanted to move, but his legs didn't respond. Nab, clearly trying his damnedest to escape. In an attempt to crawl away from the two creatures, he kicked with his legs. Managing to stand up, he stumbled forward only to find himself pinned down again by the two infected who began feasting on his legs.

"H-Help m-me, Macao," Nab's eyes had tears falling down his face; his face screamed fear as he looked at his friend standing before him to help him. The two kept tearing away at his back like rabid dogs, One of them had sunk its teeth into his leg in an attempt to pry it off the mauled body. In one final desperate effort, he reached out and grabbed hold of Macao's trench coat.

"PLEASE MACAO DON"T LEA-," Before he could finish his sentence Macao had kicked his face. Nab's grip on his coat loosened as it fell on the ground. Realizing what he had done his face turned into one of regret, but it was too late.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me," Turning around Macao made his way up the stairs leaving behind a screaming Nab. Tears slowly fell down the man's face as he ascended the stairs.

Natsu heard the commotion from near the stairs leading up. ' _GOD DAMN IT!'_ He cursed mentally, firing off another two shots, he had managed to kill another two of the Jumping jacks that had followed him.

"I've only got four shots left, better make them count." Running towards the stairs, he saw the two Jumping Jacks feasting on Nab's body. Aiming at their heads, he opened fire and watched the two drop dead. He walked over to the shape of the dead man. He looked at the trail of blood from that he had created, assuming that he attempted to get away from the threat. Looking back, he saw the trail's original starting point. He then noticed something that seemed off, right on Nab's left cheek was a rather large bruise. He was pretty sure that

"Poor bastard, he didn't even get three feet." Making his way up the stairs, he could hear Macao up a floor. Picking up his pace, he rushed into the third floor. By now the three shots that Natsu had fired off earlier had echoed throughout the entire basement. Bringing in some of the roamers that had been well hidden. Most of them were students or staff who sought refuge in the cellar or random infected that had wandered in by chance. In the distance, he could make out Macao holding off some of the infected as he brought down the table leg onto a roamer's head. Completely crushing the skull; along with the soft brain tissue.

More and more infected began crawling from the classrooms, some came through the broken windows. Their combined groans echoed throughout the corridors of the school. Without missing a beat, Natsu charged through, dodging the limbs of the undead. Macao fended off as many as he could, shoving them into one another. Taking the small window of opportunity, he moved up each floor with Natsu not too far behind. The duo scurried up the stairs as fast as their legs could go, the put all of their efforts in finding the exit, Things seemed to be going well for the two as the neared the door that had led them down in the first place. That was until Natsu heard a familiar noise. Before he could warn Macao, a loud shriek pierced their eardrums. The scream, being amplified by the emptiness of the room attracted more roamers from their hiding spots.

"FUCKING SHRIEKER!" Roared Natsu as he searched around for the source of the sound.

"Macao, we have to get the hell out of here, now!"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Exclaimed Macao, shoving another roamer out of the way. Racing up the stairs, they encountered more of the infected but managed to make it back to the main floor.

"There, now all we have to do is head back towards the barricade that's closed off this part of the school. Thanks for getting me out of there Natsu." Not wanting to stay long he moved forward trying to avoid any form of conversation. Macao knew that he would eventually ask about Nab's whereabouts.

" _I can't tell them that I ran away when I could have helped me. There were too many of the infected. Yeah, Yeah, that's it. That's what I'll tell the rest of the community. That way I won't be kicked out or be seen as a coward."_ A small smile crept onto his face as his brain processed his excuse. Natsu's gaze fell on the back of Macao's head. He knew that they would have to tell Makarov about what happened to Nab. When he had found Nab's body, he could see the struggle that Nab put up in an attempt to escape. With a sigh, Natsu followed after Macao.

There was an awkward silence between the two, mostly just from Macao in an attempt to avoid bringing Nab into the conversation. He felt relieved seeing Natsu. Walking in silence, they neared the crudely made a barricade. They both breathed out in relief as they saw the entrance.

"Hey, Macao?" Breaking the silence was Natsu. He stared at Macao with a gaze that unnerved him. Not wanting to make himself seem suspicious he replied as calmly as he could.

"Umm, what is it Natsu."

"About Nab."

" _SHIT! Does he know!"_

Macao, are you a coward or a killer?"

* * *

 ** _There you have it; this chapter was short, I know. My schedual has drastically changed with college and my job. Things are turning out to be more hard to manage. I know that others are waiting for my other story to continue, which it will. It's just that right now I have some writer's block, making it nearly impossible to move forward with the story. I know where I want it to end. But the problem is the middle, the 'meat' of the story if you will. Anyway, for now, this will be it for now again I'm not sure if I'll continue this. If someone wants to adopt this story then just let me know._**

 ** _Thanks for reading and dealing with my shitty writing. Please leave a review; all criticism is welcome good or bad._**


	4. Help

Hey everyone sorry for the lack of updates on either story. I have no excuse I was just lazy, but I want to start off this next year with new ideas. So please help me out with this story. I know it seems sloppy but I want to improve upon it.

So I'd like for you guys to give me ideas for possible 'missions' to add to this story. Signature weapons and other ways to improve this story. Again please help me with this.

P.S this is Fairy Tail x Dying Light fanfic.


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